Bitcoin and Blockchain assets: Should they be regulated?

Description

In the wake of several large-scale cryptocurrency
heists in recent months, coupled with the ever-increasing hype around
blockchain, several regulators across the world are in active
discussions towards defining and regulating both the technology and its
applications. Regulation provides clarity and guidelines to the
startups and established firms innovating with the technology and is
welcomed by many companies that wish to do business with other regulated
entities such as banks, asset managers, and payment services.

On the other hand, many players in the space
believe that regulation contradicts the decentralized nature of the
technology, or at least how it was initially envisioned, and prefer to
conduct activities outside of regulatory supervision.

Join us on September 5th to hear from two Hong Kong
based bitcoin and blockchain asset exchanges with opposing views on
regulation and find out about the challenges faced by the Bitcoin
Association of Hong Kong in their efforts to lobby local regulators.

Whether you’re a bitcoin believer, blockchain
enthusiast or just curious about the technology, bring an open mind and
plenty of questions!

Panelists

Leonhard Weese - Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong

Arthur Hayes - BitMEX

Aurélien Menant - Gatecoin

Leonhard is an expert on bitcoin,
information security, and online privacy. He currently serves as
president of the Bitcoin Association in Hong Kong and as a mentor at the
Fintech Supercharger Accelerator. He holds a master of statistics from
the University of Hong Kong and a bachelor's in economics from the
Vienna University of Economics and Business. He previously worked as a
data analyst for MeToo! and Demand Analytics, focusing on spontaneous
deals and group buys.

Arthur Hayes obtained his BA in Economics at the
Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 2008.
Subsequently, he moved to Hong Kong where worked as an equity
derivatives trader for Deutsche Bank and Citigroup for 5 years. Arthur
was the head ETF market maker at both firms. In January 2014, BitMEX -
Bitcoin Mercantile Exchange was formed. BitMEX is a trading platform
that gives retail investors access to the global financial markets using
Bitcoin, the Blockchain, and financial derivatives. BitMEX through the
use of Bitcoin as collateral, allows anyone anywhere to trade any type
of financial asset.

Aurélien is co-founder and CEO of Gatecoin, a
regulated online trading platform for cryptocurrency and blockchain
assets based in Hong Kong, where he is responsible for the firm’s management, strategy and investor relations. He
is a well-known member of the global fintech community and is regularly
invited to speak at industry events and conferences such as Global
Blockchain Summit (Beijing), Finnovasia (Hong Kong) and Inside Bitcoins
(Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore). Aurélien is also a founding member of the
Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong, a lobby group that aims to work with
the Hong Kong government to design appropriate regulation for
cryptocurrency and other blockchain technologies. Aurélien also
dedicates time to work on CoinCharities.org, a platform to facilitate
donations for charities and non-profit organizations around the world
using cryptocurrencies.